Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about but haven’t yet read. Most of the time they’re books that have yet to be released, but not always. It’s based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme, which was originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
This week my Can’t-Wait-For Book is The Librarian’s Gargoyle by Evelyn Shine!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: F/F
Published on: 4th November 2024
Goodreads
Magic is real, and Viola is going to prove it!
Viola is a Parisian librarian by day and parkourist by night. The last thing she wants is an arranged marriage (ick) with a man (double ick.) If Viola can fund the library and keep it open, she might keep her job and freedom, might being the key word. To make matters worse, strange magical shades keep attacking her, threatening her physical safety. Viola knows magic is real and wants to be part of that world, but she can’t find a way out of her mundane life. She can only vent her troubles to her confidant, a lady gargoyle… though the statue has never spoken back.
Boudicca is a creature without a soul—a fact as steady as the stone she’s made of. Yet when the mage who created Boudicca gives her a task that requires her to appear human, she’s feeling new, soft things for the librarian who likes to climb Paris in her slippers. Viola could never love Boudicca in her true form, but the gargoyle finds herself putting her heart on the line to help keep the library open… and help Viola discover the magic that will pull her into a new world of freedom.
The Librarian’s Gargoyle is a cozy sapphic monster romantasy set in turn-of-the-century Paris.
I love how my brain immediately went ‘did parlour exist back then?’ when I read the blurb – for a book about GARGOYLES.
YES, SIA, THE PARKOUR IS THE POTENTIALLY-UNREALISTIC BIT IN THIS PREMISE.
PFFFFFFFFT.
For real though – I spotted this cover on social media, and it’s definitely a double-take cover, right?! Gorgeous and charming! So of course I investigated a bit, and the blurb was also charming!
It’s a little funny, because I know past!Sia of not that long ago wouldn’t have had any interest in a cosy romantasy – but I’ve had such a wonderful time with books like The Nightmare Before Kissmass that I think I’ve become a convert. Light and sweet and magical feels so appealing at the moment, when I’m struggling to concentrate, dealing with too much real-world nonsense, and what I’m starting to suspect is burnout.
This sounds fun, unlikely to be very heavy in theme or prose style, and perfectly escapist. So…yes please!
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